Claw-bar.



rm. 651,223.. Patented/lune 5,1900.

c. n. BRUWN CLAW BAR. (Application med Aug. 24, 1898;);

(" Model.)

* w ng" "NiTEn STATES,

PATENT Erica.

CLARENCE DENTON BROWN, OF cEcILiAN, KENTUCKY.

CLAW-BAR,

srEciFI'cA'rIoN' forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,229, dated June 5,1900; Application fil ed August 24, 1898. Serial No. 689,407. (No model.)

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE DENTON BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cecilian, in the county of Hardin and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Claw-Bar, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to claw-bars especially designed for drawing railroad-rail spikes and the like; and the object in View is to simplify and improve the construction of tools of this class, and particularly to facilitate the engagement of the claws with a spike-head without resorting to the useof a hammer or maul, as in the ordinary practice, and, furthermore,

, to provide such a construction and arrangement of parts as to adapt theclaw-bar to escape toward the spike as the latter is drawn in order that the operation may be accomplished without bending the spike or causing the accidental disengagement of the claws from the head thereof.

Further objectsand advantages of this invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a spike-extracting'tool constructed in accordance with my'invention. side view of the same in the position which it occupies in engaging the claws and clutch with a spike-head. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the tool in the'position which it occupies just preparatory to the commencement of the drawing operation or immediately after having accomplished the engagement of the claws and clutch with the spike-head.

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the positions of the parts when the rearward tilting of the claw-bar has proceeded sufficiently to bring the clutch-heel into operative position. Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the positions of the parts after the head of the tool has skated toward the spike upon the rolling or sliding fulcrum provided for that purpose. Fig. 6 is a front view of the tool-head.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

The shank l of the claw-bar embodying my invention terminates at its lower end in a Fig. 2 'is'a' head 2, having a longitudinal slot, upon the opposite sides of which are formed claws 3 for engaging the laterally-projecting edges of a spike-head 4, said claws being longitudinally tapered and having theirinner sides beveled to form engaging edges at the lower sides of the claws. Furthermore, the heels of the claws are rounded to form a rolling fulcrum 5, upon which the tool is adapted to tilt in the early portion of the operation of extracting a spike.

Pivotally mounted in the slot of the head, and hence operating between the planes of the claws, is a clutch 6, the pivotal point 7 of which is adjacent to the claw-heels and is approximately concentric with the rolling fulcrum thereof. The clutch is provided with a rearwardly-extending hook-shaped toe 8, adapted to engage the front edge of a spikehead, whereby when the tool is in engagement with a spike-head the clutch holds the same in operative relation with the claws. The clutch is also provided with a rearwardlyextending heel 9, which consists of a pair of projecting plates and which projects beyond the claw-heels'2, and is limited in upward movement by contact with the closed upper end of the slot formed in the head to limit the depression of the hooked or engaging extremity of the clutch with relation to the claws. This projecting heel also serves as'a trip for pressure by the foot of the operator in order to disengage the clutch from a spike-head when the latter'has been sufficiently extracted.

The heel 9 of the clutch projects from the head in rear of the rolling fulcrum 5 of the latter and forms a continuation of said fulcrum, upon which the head is adapted to mount when the tilting movement thereof has proceeded far enough to bring the under surface of the heel into contact with the tie or other surface upon which the tool is operating, as indicated in Fig. 4. The further depression of the lever 1 raises the fulcrum 5 of the head from the surface of the tie; but as the depression of the lever proceeds the surface of the heel 9 slides upon the bearing surface toward the spike to maintain the spike-engaging portions of the head and dog or clutch in vertical alinement with the body portion of the spike. In other words, the head rolls upon the surface 5 as a fulcrum of the periphery projects slightly beyond the convexly-rounded under surface of the heel, and it is obvious that when the tool is tilted sufficiently to bring this roller into contact with the surface of the tie the further depression of the free end of the handle or shank will be accompanied without special effort upon the part of the operator by the sliding or skating movement of the clutch-heeltoward the spike. After the spike has been fully drawn the heel 9 may be depressed by the foot of the operator to disengage the nose or hook portion of the clutch from the spike, and thereby release the latter. The antifrictionroller 10 is journaled between the plates, which are secured to the opposite faces of the rear portion of the clutch 6.

In operation the extremities of the claws are placed at the rear end of the spike-head in alinement with the laterally-projecting portions thereof and the shank of the tool is inclined forwardly until the rearwardlyextending nose of the clutch drops in front of the spike-head, as indicated in Fig. 2, whereupon by the rearward swinging movement of the shank by utilizing the pivotal point of the clutch as a fulcrum the extremities of the claws are forced under the head of the spike until the parts assume the position indicated in Fig. 3. As the rearward-swinging movement of the shank is continued the head rolls upon the fulcrum 5 and draws the spike vertically or in alinement with itself from the tie. As this rolling movement continues the hearing or fulcrum surface of the clutch-heel comes into operative relation with the tie, as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the head of the tool mounts upon said heel, and thus brings the roller-bearing into contact with the surface of the tie, and at this point in the operation of depressing the extremity of the shank the head begins to move toward the spike in order to continue the straight movement of the spike in alinement with itself, as shown in Fig. 5.

As above described, the pivotal point of the clutch is arranged contiguous to and concentrio with the heels of the claws, whereby when the parts are in the fully-engaged position illustrated in Fig. 3 said pivot-point is contiguous to the plane of the spike-head, and

hence the rearward draft of the dog or clutch ping of the nose of the clutch from the front end of the spike-head.

The under side of the dog or clutch is cut away to form the cavity in which the spikehead is adapted to rock as the spike is drawn to avoid the rearward straining thereof, and hence facilitate the drawing of the spike without bending and at the same time without disengaging its head from the nose of the clutch. The inner surface of the nose of the clutch, contiguous to its point, is approximately concentric with the pivot of the clutch; but as this pivot is offset slightly from the rolling fulcrum of the head there is suliiciont rearward strain applied by the clutch to the spike-head to prevent the accidental disengagement of the former.

Obviously the above-described and preferable curvature of the clutch is susceptible of slight variations, and I reserve the right to adopt such changes therein as may be made without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- A device of the class described comprising an operating-lever having a bifurcated head provided with forwardly-extending claws 3, and having a rounded lower face 5, a clutch 6 extending through said bifurcation and pivoted therein at 7, its front end' being turned to the rear to form a toe 8 for cooperating with the said claws, said clutch being provided at its rear end with a heel, consisting of a pair, of side plates and having a curved lower face, the curved faces of the head and the heel forming practically a continuous fulcrum, and a roller journaled between the plates and arranged to skate inward under the device after a spike has been partially extracted by the device operating on the continuous fulcrum, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE DENTON BROWVN. lVitnesses:

M. W. BARNES, J. E. (JOLLINs. 

